Socket



E. R, PiCKABD AND E, C. PLANS'.

SOCKET.

APPLICATION man mp1.?. w20.

4U. 2. 91B 1m E 5 mm ou Nw, d2 m m l P ,27g/Ve 1117@ mv Pz cfm r l E. C Pia fiks,

E. R. PICKARD AND E. C. PLANS.

SOCKET.

APPLICATION mio IAN. I. 1920.

1,359,424. i Patented Nov. 16, 1920 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-lee ELDEN a. Prcxnrm AND EDWIN c, rLA'rTs, or EUGENE, oRnGoN.

SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 16, 1920J Application led January 7, 1920. Serial No. 349,911..

This invent-ion relates to improvements` in clectriclight sockets and the principal object of the invention residesv in the provision of a socket having an automatic overload circuitl breaker arrangedl therein by means of which the circuit will be broken through said socket when' an instrument requiring more than a predetermined amount ot current is connected w1th said socket,

thereby avoiding injury to the wiring with-` in the building and. also for protecting the fuses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is Aparticularly adapted for use in hotels and the like, in order to prevent a person from connecting irons and other heating apparatus with the socket which apparatus requires more than a predetermined quantity 'of power thus avoiding the possibility of the running up of the power bill owing to the excess consumption of current.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision ot a novel jorm of overload circuit breaker which is compactly constructed and capable ofjbeing placed within adamp socket without materially changing the size and'shape of thesame.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combination and. arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which Figure\ 1. 1s a vertical sectlonal View through a lamp socket constructed in ae-fthe sliding core of the solenoid moved upwardly and illustrating the latch released prior to the breaking ol the circuit,

Fig. o isa view similar to Fig. f1 showing the device after the circuit has been broken,

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the socket,

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5,

l Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the bridging Contact, and

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of lthe armature of the solenoid which is slidably mounted onl the stem of the bridging con* tact Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the outer shell of the socket provided with the usual insulating lining 2. end of the shell is reduced and has fitted therein a threaded slee/'ve 3 into-which the base of a lamp bulb is adapted to be threaded. A cap 4 fits the upper end of the socket and is provided with the usual insulating bushing 5 through which the feed wires 5a and 5b pass. Fitted in the upper end of the shell are the usual insulating blocks 6 and 6a carrying a key 6biior manipulating themovable Contact 7 ot' a well known type of key switch by which the current is switched on and oit` of the socket. The wire b'is connected to the upper stationary contact 7'i of the key switch by a bolt 7b. A binding post 8 is attached to the block 6 and secured to this binding post is one terminal oi"- the feed wire 5a while a similar wire 9 is connected to said 'binding post'and leads to a contact screw 10 carried by the threaded shell for establishing electrical communication between the feed wire and shell. In the inner end of the shell 3 is an insulator 11 supporting the central contact 12 of the lamp socket and the conterminal of the wire 17 which is connectedl to one terminal of the solenoid coil as will be more fully hereinafter described.

fA central aperture 18 is formed in the insulator 11 and an aperture 19 is formed in the' Contact plate 12 in axial alinement with ,the aperture 18 and is of greater diameter to receive the head of the sliding rod which will be hereinafter more fully described.

lupportel within the shell l intermediate its upper end lower ends. is a spool 2G haie ing a hollow core in `which a e r' designated generally lief the numeral is operatirel)v mounted. This slidingy dore is best illustrated in Fig. 9 and coni' ses crlinder of a relativelyv sott iron having termed therein a central bore 2S. loilgiF tudinal slot. 2l is formed in the c3v nf, communicates with the bore extends substantially one-hair t the cylinder and is provided at its lower with an inclined Wall 25 which is slotted as at to accommodate the latch pin o plunger locking latch which Will be more fully hereinafter described. Formed at the lon' .r terminal of the spool is a latch guide 27 in which a latch 30 is slidably mounted. l spring 3l normally urges said latch forwardly toward the plunger. The latch is provided with an inclined cam tace 32 which is adapted to be engaged by the inclined face Q5 of the sliding core 2l When said core is moved upwardly into the core of the magnet which consists ot the spool Q0 harings)` Wound thereon a suitable magnet winding. lt will be seen that in the upward movement ol' the armature 2l the latch will be mored outwardl;T against the compression of the spring 3l and thereby release the plunger which will beimore fully hereinalter described.

The plunger above referred to nated generally by the numeral 3l and comprises a tubular stem 35 formed at its upper end with a head 36 and at its lower end with a bridgingr contact 3T which cooperates `.Vith the contacts 13 and ll in completingT the circuit through the socket. A pair ot dialnet1 ricallyv opposed slots 3S are formed in the head 36 and are adapted to acconnnodatc guide pins 39 carried by the spool '20. lt will be seen that any possibility ot the plunger 3lturning so as to cause the bridging' contacttto more out of proper alincment with the contacts '13 and ll is eliminated. lThe tubular stem 35 is formed adjacent its upper end with a longitudinal slot l@ through which a transverse guide pin ll carried by the sliding rod extends in order to 'prercnt the rod from turning. this pin also assistingY in the resetting of the device. n aperture 4t2 is formed in the tubular stem intermediate its upper and lower ends and is adapted to receive the pin .33 ol the latch member 30 vwhen the stem in normalposition in order to hold the same against aceidental movement.

Slidable through the hollouv stein 313 is a rod #t3 haring a head ll at its lower end and is A, desiga head l5 at the upper end. r eon'lpression coil spring 46 is interposed` .between the under side of the insulator 11 and theiupper side ot the head l so as to normallg,7 more said stern downwardly int-o position shown AThe magnet winding' ol the solenoid h:

Leanne-fiend 2. ,il retraetile coil ,tached to the under side .olf and to 'the upper side of the hotte ot' the hollow head 3o so that when lil nieves npr:ardlj,T upon the pos the lamp b Within the soclte tilted in l? n f3, il, and 5. 'the will he tensioned thereb7 tondi d* to the plunger upv:ardlj,Y to cause, the con tact 327 to disengage the contacts l1? and llA J- iwi terminal connected hy a Wire #i8 to u ary Contact T et' the ley switch` while the opposite terminal is connected by i 17 to the binding strevenI and Contact lil. Under normal conditioisafhen :t lamp hull;

is screwed into place it will be apparent that its hase will engage the head del and moin the rod l upwardlyv against the tension ol the spring 4G, and the tension ol the sp l? until the lamp hase engages the ecm. Contact l2. Upon closing the hey suji'i" current will flow through the wire 9 into the shell 3 and then thro't'igh il paratus connected to the soclzetan, to the central Contact l2 and the mutuels ll, BT and 13, into coil from whL pass out through the wire 8 and l\e A to the Wire 5b. In the event that en i ment wnich takes too much current 'is attachee, to the socket the magneti. n the coil will exceed that ordinarily produced. thereby energizing the coil to auch aextent as to pull the core 2l inwardlii'thus lansing the cam face 25 to engage the cani 'lace ot the latch 3G and more the latch so that the lock pin 33 disengages the wall ol the opening 4Z The plunger head 2:36 and contact 3T will he free to more upwardly under the influence of the spring 47 thereby causing the Contact 37 to disengage the cona tacts 13 and lll and break the circuit through 'the socket. After the circuit has been broken in the socket it is automatieullj,T reset upon the removal of the attachment 'LA plug, by the spring t3 exerting' downward pressure onthehad 44 which will cause the pin ll to engage the lower wall olf the slot.

Ll() 'formed in the plunger ifiorinjf the same downwardly until th and ll are bridged by the co which time the latch il() will more, u? the influence of the spring@r 3l. a the latch pin 33 to engage in tno l2 and thus loclr the device in for reuse.

From the foregoing it will he that an attempt to 'dran' more i through the socket tl an the de'tice i1 will operate to thron7 oil the cui i thereinv avoid any possibilit-)i el in., the Wi 'inox YWhile in the foregoing 'there has been shown and described the preierrod einhelliment oit this invention, it is to be une` rstood thus (will ser t, i

what rwe claim is zl. In an elec'trie` light'socket, a shell, a

fee/.l wire connected tosaid shell, a solenoid, :i second feed wire connected to one terminal of said solenoid` a support of insulation, a

`Contact carried by said Support. a wile conneeting the other terminal of said solenoid to said Contact. a central Contact carried by said support. a switch connecting said con.a tarte'. a hollow plunger connected to said switch and passing within the bore-.of the solenoid` a rod laissingthrough said plunger and extending berondthe central contact` a spring connected to said rod and plunger and adapted to be tensioned by the movement of the rod'in one direction with relation to the plunger. a latch engaging said plunger to hohl il against movement to permit said rod to be moved with relation to the plunger by and during the insertion of the lamp plug within the shell. and a core `for the solenoid slidably mounted in said plunger and adapted when moved by the solenoid to more said latch out of engagement with the plunger, said spring being adapted to more the witch blade out of contact with said contacts on the withli-:iwal ot the latch 'from engagement with the plunger.

2. An electric socket including a shell, a feedwire connected to said shell, a solenoid within the Shell. a second feed wire oonnected to one terminal of said solenoid, a pair of spaced contacts, a wire connecting one of the contacts to the other terminal of Said solenoid7 a switch member engaging said contacts, means operable on the insertion of a plug into the socket to more said switch member out of engagement with said contacts, a latch engaging said switch member and a Core for the solenoid adapted when moved by the solenoid to more the latch out of engagement with said switch member so as to permit said means to more the switch member outof engagement with said contacts.

3. The construction set forth in claim l, and a second spring mounted on said rod for normally retaining the same in an ex* tended position.

The construction set forth in cla-im 2, and. an insulating disk supporting said pair ot' contacts.

5. The Construction set 'forth in claim 2, and a central Contact having connection with one of said pair of contacts.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ELDEN R. PICKARD. EDVIN C. PLATTS. Witnesses c J. E. SHELTON, Bnssne SHELTON. 

